Amelia Layton and the Starter Mystery
by The Knit Hat Ninja
Summary: Hershel Layton has died. The cops are saying that he was shot, but Amelia has a feeling that's it more than just that. Can Amelia and Luke find out the mystery to Hershel Layton's death, or will they find themselves in a grave as well?
1. Chapter 1

**Yay for new story ideas. Don't be mad at me for character death so early in the story. D:**

I clutched my heart in panic, hoping the throbbing pain would subside. Breathing deeply, I bent over and coughed. Spit splattered the ground. I looked all around me to see that no one was even around. I released my strongly held grip and let out a sigh. It was always like this when I was alone. When I had no one to rely on; That's when the panic attacks had started. I hated being alone. And with _that_ being said, it made my situation even worse. He was gone; My brother.

I sat down on the curb until I felt my heart rate return to it's normal beating. Once it was fully down, I heard a voice. I looked up and saw that the voice was coming towards me.

"Are you okay, miss? You look scared out of your wits!" A younger boy, about the age of ten, walked up to me, holding out a teddy bear. "You can hold him for a few minutes to calm down, if you want." He gestured the bear towards my hand. I took it and began to stroke it's head, instantly feeling calm.

"T-Thank you." I muttered, giving the bear a hug, I smashed the bear's warm face up against my cold face. The warmth felt _wonderful_."What are you doing out here in the cold at night?" I asked when I gave the boy his bear back.

The boy shrugged in response. "I take daily strolls every night with my mentor." He looked down at the ground then, as if he shouldn't be speaking anymore about the subject at hand.

"Where's your mentor?" I asked, "They must be worried sick about you!"

The boy pointed up at the sky. "Professor is up there with his girlfriend, Claire."

It took me a while before I finally realized what he had meant. My mouth suddenly felt dry and went agape.

"Is your name Luke Triton?"

The boys eyes went huge and he nodded. "H-How did you know that?"

"Professor Hershel Layton...his beloved apprentice, Luke Triton. Luke, I..."

He gave me a smile and sat next to me. "I'm alright, really. Whenever I'm sad, I think about how happy he is with his loved ones."

"You're one of his loved ones, too, you know. From all the articles in the newspaper, it was as if you two were father and son, or brothers, even." I bit my lip and instantly wanted to hit myself upside the head. "I'm sorry..."

Luke laughed, "I told you not to worry about it!" He gripped the bear he held in his hands.

"Did the Professor give you that?"

He shook his head. "No. My mom did when I was seven. It's important to me and I carry it around everywhere."

"Is you mother...?"

Luke's eyes widened, "No! No! When I became the professah's apprentice, I moved in with him. He lived in London; My parents and I lived in Misthallery. My father was the mayor; He's not anymore."

"I'm glad she's still alive." My gaze lowered to the ground. I couldn't believe this was his apprentice. He was only ten for goodness sakes! But then again, Hershel was always good with children.

"Me too! What's your name, miss?"

"My name is Amelia Layton."

"L-Layton?"

"Yeah...Hershel is my brother."

Luke wrapped his arms around me at that very moment. I felt myself blush."Why are you feeling so sorry for me when your _brother_ died just a week ago!" he exclaimed. "Amelia!" He began to weep into my shoulder, causing it to become wet with tears.

"L-Luke, I didn't mean to...I..."

"How come the Professah never spoke about you?"

"I assume it's because he worried about me too much. You see, I was adopted into the Layton family when I was twelve. Hershel was thirty at the time and had been over-protective of me ever since. We truly were brother and sister. Our hair color was even the exact same."

"Wow...It's so great to meet you!"

"It's finally great to meet you. I've seen you in the newspaper many a times, and I always thought you were the perfect gentlemen to be my big brother's side."

Luke blushed, "T-Thanks."

"Where's your cap?" I asked. I noticed that Luke had always worn his baby blue cap in the pictures, but right now his head was bare.

"Oh, I left it at the graveyard. It's a present for the Professor."

I ruffled his light brown locks and smiled. "I know he loved it, Luke. Did you notice that his grave was right next to Claire's?"

Luke nodded, "It made me happy, seeing that."

"His death is certainly a mystery. Did you hear anything about it?"

"I heard that he was shot." Luke bit his lip. "The cops don't know why it happened though. Or who did it."

"...Luke, do you want to go on a little adventure? We need to find out this mystery."

"I'd _love_ to! It'll be just like old times."

That's when Luke and I started our adventure. The first place we would need to go?

The Molentary Express.


	2. Chapter 2

**Short chapter. ;_; I apologize from the bottom of my author heart. :)**

** _Two Weeks Earlier **_

_ "Hello, this is Amelia Layton. To whom do you wish to speak?"_

_ The voice on the other line of the phone began to chuckle. "Amelia, it's me. It's your brother, Hershel!"_

_ "H-Hershel!" I almost dropped the phone onto the floor. I hadn't talked to my brother in nearly three months. It had been _way_ too long since he had called._

_ "Dear, are you still there?"_

_ "Y-Yes! I was just shocked, that's all." This was certainly the truth. "You really need to call more often, you know. I know you're on adventure with Luke, but Mother and I are constantly worried. Father doesn't say much, but I know he's worried as well. How is your investigation doing by the way?"_

_ "Really well, actually!" Hershel beamed, "Luke is certainly a fine gentlemen, and I'm glad he's turning into such a bright young man. At age ten he's grown so sophisticated. He still has those child like qualities, but he's matured a lot. I'm sorry for not calling more often, Amelia. I do hope you know that it wasn't my intention to scare you three. I just haven't had a lot of time on my hands to talk for a long period of time, such as now."_

_ "Luke does seem like a gentleman, Hershel." I say. I couldn't help but smile. It was him! Hershel! "Where is the investigation at, exactly?"_

_ "A little town named Hulbury. It's fairly nice. They have the Belle Classic tea blend here, which I found pleasantly surprising."_

_ "Wow, they do? That's amazing! I really want to visit this Halbury place, now!"_

_ "Amelia, it's Hulbury."_

_ "O-Oh."_

_ "I've got to go. Tell Mom and Dad and I love them, okay?"_

_ "Of course I will! I'm not _that_ forgetful!"_

_ "If you say so."_

_ "H-Hey!"_

_ "Oh, a puzzle! I must be going now, dear. I love you. Goodbye."_

_ "I love you too!"_

_ The line disconnected. I held the phone close up to my chest. I missed my brother dearly. I couldn't wait for him to return home!_


	3. Chapter 3

**I must admit, this might look confusing. It's what happened to Layton, a flashback he had, and then it went to Amelia and Luke's POV. Enjoy! :)**

"Layton, I've told you time and time again that you needed to leave me alone."

Hershel wasn't one to usually let his own fate be decided so quickly, but right now he was going to let it be; He was finished. He staggered backwards, blood soaking through his orange shirt right on his chest. He fell backwards onto the pavement with a loud _thump_. Looking up, tears streaming from his eyes, he saw the eyes of his killer; They were red with fury and envy.

"Well, I suppose you could say goodbye to your apprentice and adopted daughter." He paused for a second to take a look, "But the good thing is that you can lay next to your Claire for eternal sleep. You know how much you miss her."

"N-No..." Hershel's voice was growing weaker by the second. He sat up, or at least tried to, shaking.

"No? Don't heckle me, Layton. I can make this much more brutal than I intended, and I will do it without a second thought. It'll be quick-witted. Lay your head; Let it end. Fall into a deep sleep. Fall. Fall..."

Hershel's head began to bob back and forth violently as he tried to jolt himself awake. He couldn't feel his legs or arms.

"Fall," the voice commanded.

Hershel fell back, almost as if he was in a trance. His head cracked against the pavement.

"I've finally succeeded, Father. I've killed Hershel Layton." The voice was soft and disheartened.

_*Flashback*_

_ "Hershel, you don't belong here. In this old flat, I mean."_

_ Hershel chuckled, "Dear, don't forget that I have a natural nack for old things. I could make this a lovely home."_

_ The couple stood outside Hershel's new flat. Claire had her arm around Hershel's just like always. Hershel opened the door to be surprisingly delighted by a fairly nice refurbished home._

_ "Wow, Claire. D-Did you do this?"_

_ Claire nodded, "I got a key from the locksmith before you finally moved in. I knew what kind of stuff you liked, but I don't know if I planned out as nicely. To be truthful, it looked much nicer in my head._

_ Hershel felt himself blush. She did this just for HIM. He felt special just standing next to her._

_ "M-Maybe one day we could-"_

_ "Come on, Hershel! Look at the kitchen! I made a marble counter-top just for you!" She released her grip and grabbed his hand and ushered him inside of the flat, giggling all the while._

_ "Okay, love."_

_ *Flashback end*_

As Luke and I made our way towards the train station, he turned to me. "Amelia, are you sure you want to do this? This could give you really _bad_ nightmares!"

I balled my fists as tightly as I could, "I _have_ to do this, Luke. I need to find out what happened to Hershel. They can't just say he was shot. I know my brother...he would've died in a more complex way than that. He's a smart enough man to know how to always get out of a tight bind."

"O-Okay." was Luke's shaky answer.

We drew nearer to the ticket station and as we did, Luke's mouth fell agape. Quite puzzled, I asked, "What's the matter, Luke?"

"I-I see Clive!"

"_Clive Dove_?"

"_Yes_!"

When I had first heard about the fake Chinatown and Hershel's past with Claire, I had always gotten a little misty around the eyes. I didn't really know much about it. When the Chinatown facade happened, I was studying abroad in America for college.

"I-Is that _him_?" I say, pointing at a man with light brown hair that looked exactly like Luke's; They could certainly be brothers!

Luke nodded, "He must've gotten out of jail a few months ago!"

"Come on now," I mutter, taking Luke's hand, "Let's go get our tickets."

We stepped up to the ticket station and I slapped a twenty into the little slot.

"Hulbury," I said under my breath.

"Hulbury, miss? I wouldn't recommend visiting that place, a rather famous professor just died there and-"

I stopped him right there; I didn't need to be reminded, "I know. He's my brother."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry." He handed me the two tickets and his mouth fell open _just_ like Luke's. "Luke!" he shouted, "Why are you going to Hulbury? It's going to be fairly dangerous!"

"I've been through _far more_ dangerous things." Luke muttered. He grabbed a ticket from my hand and dragged me away from the station.

"What was _that_?" I say, scolding him. "That was rude!"

"He's done a lot more ruder things than me! I don't want you associated with him! Let's just go get on the train!"

I was absolutely stunned. Hershel was right.

He was definitely more mature than any ten year-old I had ever met.


	4. Chapter 4

From what I could tell, the Molentary was essentially the same. Mr. Beluga was still at the top of the horrendous food chain in the industry, and his nephew, the crazy Sammy Thunder, still worked there.

"RAWK ON! WELCOME TO THE MOLENTARY EXPRESS!" Were the words that came out of Sammy's mouth as he stood in front of the people that inhabited the trains. For some odd reason the microphone he always had was missing. I assumed it was an order of Mr. Beluga's and thought nothing more of it.

"Mother said I could play with it!" I heard a little girl shout. She had blonde hair that was entangled in pigtails that met the sides of her face. She held a doll that had thread spooling out and only one button eye. She was speaking to a little a boy, a bit older than her, who I assumed was her brother.

"Mom said I could play with it, too!" The little boy countered.

The little girl scoffed, caressing the side of the damaged doll's face, "Go play with Jared or something,"

"F-Fine," the boy muttered back, nearly in tears, his eyes on the doll. "But know that Jared hates you!" He then stomped away from his little sister down the hallway and found his room and shut the door loudly behind him.

The little girl stared at the doll, tears beginning to brim from her eyes. She dropped to her knees, the doll clutched in her tiny hands. I bent down to tell her that this Jared character didn't really hate her, but before I could she was up and running in an instant, yelling, "JARED DOESN'T HATE ME! HE HATES YOU, JACK!" Unfortunately, while running, she fell flat on her face.

"Are you okay, little girl?" I said, surprised.

"Fine, ma'am, thanks for asking!" The little girl responding, picking herself up and the doll. She disappeared down the hallway and into the cart room she and her brother had shared.

Luke and I exchanged confused glances and started to laugh. She was a strong girl, that one, I decided. We walked down the same hallway, edging our way through the people who had been arguing or simply having a nice chat outside of their rooms.

"Want to try a puzzle, ma'am?" A boy about Luke's age said. He was standing in the hallway directly in front of our room, so Luke and I stopped to hear the young man out before entirely inhabiting our quarters for the ride to Hulbury.

He handed me a piece of paper with three chicks and three wolves and a boat. I smiled; I had seen this puzzle so many times before I could solve in my sleep. I was Hershel Layton's sister. I could easily solve a puzzle with a glance, just like he did.

"Try to move the animals to the opposite sides of the river without killing each-"

I handed him the paper, "Done."

"W-What?"

"Done," I repeated, more clearly to ensure he heard me.

Luke and the boy stared at me in utter awe. "Amelia, you didn't even give that puzzle a second thought, did you?"

I laughed, "Not at all. When I was younger Hershel and I solved puzzles together all the time. This was our favorite one we solved together. I used to get frustrated when I couldn't get it, and use to cry, because I thought of the many theoretical chicks I was killing. Now I can solve it in my sleep!" I held the paper up to the wall and explained to the boy my moves.

"You solved it in less than twelve moves? How...how...did you? WHAT?"

To stop the poor boy from his ramblings I handed him a hint coin. "Use these if you get stumped." And with that, Luke and I walked away.

"That was amazing!" Luke almost shouted when we had gotten into the room.

"Guess so. We should probably find our room, now. I'm getting tired."

Luke nodded in agreement, "Me too."

Luke flopped onto the couch once we had gotten settled. I would've said that it was very un-gentleman like for him to do that, but I kept my lips sealed. I was just as tired as he was.

Luke let out a sleepy sigh, and in a few minutes he was out like a light. When I looked out the window, I noticed the roaming scenery was rather dark than usual.

We're going to find out, Hershel. Don't you worry about it...

"IN TWENTY RAWKING MINUTES WE'LL BE IN THE MYSTERIOUS HULBURY! RAWK ON, BRAVE PASSENGERS!"

I would've given Luke a little shake on the shoulder, but he looked so tuckered out I decided to wait until we were at least five minutes away from what awaited us in Hulbury.

"FIVE MORE MINUTES, PASSENGERS!"

"Luke, it's time to wake up." I shake his shoulder and soon he woke up, drool cascading down his chin. I couldn't help but smile at this, of course. "Got some drool on your chin, Luke!"

"Ah! It appears I do!" Luke said, frantically wiping the drool from his face. He was blushing madly and he sat up straight. "Are we there yet?" he asked, pulling his sleeve down. He sighed when he noticed a pool of drool beginning to stain his favorite blue jumper.

"Three minutes," I told him.


	5. Chapter 5

The town of Hulbury was actually quite pleasant, from what I had thought it entailed. I expected a somewhat dirty town, filled with interesting characters and children running amok, dirt caked into their small features. Certainly if someone from this town had taken my brother, it had to be a horrible place to reside in, right?

I was wrong.

It was like a replica of Luke's and I London; A fairly quaint place, with quiet children, a cup of tea up to the lips of nearly every one you saw. Roses and ferns were hung from every windowsill in sight and varieties of flowers were planted in every flower box placed among the small town.

"Ah, it's just as I remember it!" Luke says, stretching out his arm and yawning. He smiled, but soon stopped. I knew why; He was remembering his and Hershel's time here.

Trying to dismiss anymore agonizing thoughts of how I longed to see my brother from out of the blue, his top hat almost fluttering off of his head from the roaring wind, I patted Luke on the shoulder.

"Do you remember the last place you and the Professor were?"

Luke gulps, but wearily bobs his head up and down.

"It was...Crowley Station. The Professor and I were going to go to a restaurant, called _Rosemary's Eats_. I had read about it in Hulbury's newspaper. It was announced as one of the best restaurants it had ever set its eyes on. We both thought it had seemed equally interesting...but we never made it to the restaurant."

I bit my lip, hesitant of what to respond with. There were two options, and both were measly. One, I could ask him why. Two, I could respond with nothing...because I had a feeling that I knew the answer already all too well.

But suddenly out of nowhere, a random third option objected the other two.

"Wanna go eat there?"

Luke smiled at me, but it wasn't as big as I had assumed it would be.

"Yeah, I do. I remember where it is, and if we get lost, we can just ask Grazent!"

"...Grazent? That's certainly...an interesting name."

"Agreed," replied Luke, "Now, if I'm correct, _Rosemary's_ is to the right of the street ahead."

With that, he took my hand and we ran down the cobblestone streets to the restaurant.

"You know," Luke said as we had gotten to the front of the restaurant, "According to the newspaper, _Rosemary's Eats_ has the best fish and chips in town!"

I was about to comment on this recommended food choice, when all of a sudden I heard two people shout,

"Luke!"

We both turned around to see two children, about Luke's age.

"W-Wren...? S-Socket? What are you guys doing in Hulbury? It's ten miles from Misthallery!" Luke sounded harsh with his words, but even I knew it wasn't intentional; He sounded more worried than angry.

Wren, who I had assumed was the girl, was nervously twiddling her thumbs. She looked up to Luke. "Socket and I...heard about the Professor. He and I wanted to check up on you and see if you were still here...Crow was right!"

"I stayed with a friend the Professor and I made, whilst on our adventure."

"Grazent?" I asked; Luke nodded in my direction.

"Who are ya with?" asked a loud Socket. The boy adjusted the goggles that lay beneath his bright yellow cap and then dug into his pockets, getting a piece of salt water taffy. He unwrapped it in a crazy fashion, and then popped it into his mouth.

"I'm Amelia Layton; I am the Professor's sister." I say, introducing myself. I hold out my hand for him to shake, unfortunately receiving a sticky hand.

"You're the Professor's sister?" Socket asks, chewing on his taffy. Wren gave him an annoyed look, to which he didn't notice.

I nodded, feeling a bit disgusted by the boy and finally replied with, "Yes, sir! And you are?"

"Socket!" he answers proudly.

"And you, miss?" I say, turning to the girl.

"Wren," Wren says quietly, "Socket is my brother." She gave her brother a cheeky grin and almost knocked him over when she put his arm around him.

"Where's Crow?" Luke finally asked, when our introductions had stopped and the pesky five minute fight had stopped between Wren and Socket.

Not knowing who this Crow character was, I decided to keep my mouth shut during this new conversation.

"He, Tweeds, and Marilyn are running the Black Market while Louis, Badger, Nabby and Scraps ran the whole Black Raven scheme. Crow sends his best for you, Luke...as do the others." Socket said happily. "Crow has finally given Wren and I some meaningful work to do besides watching over that Black Market!"

"Socket!" Wren said, hushing her twin brother. When given a quizzical look, I noticed she secretly jabbed her thumb toward me and muttered something along the lines of, "_Don't let the outsider know_!"

"Wren, she can hear you, dummy!" I heard Socket whisper loudly. Wren turned her head to look at me wearily and then gave me a mysterious look.

"You didn't hear anything we said, did you?"

"A tad bit," I mumbled.

"Good job, _Socket_!"

"Me! She heard _you_ the most!" Socket shouted, still whispering.

"Are they always like this?" I managed to whisper Luke without the two siblings noticing.

Another fight had begun between the two and people were beginning to stare.

"It used to be a lot worse!" Luke replied with a small laugh, "Come on now guys, stop fighting!"

Wren and Socket, who had been petty fighting with a few slaps in play, stopped and turned to Luke and I.

"Sorry about that," Wren muttered quietly.

"Luke, do you want to go inside now? I'm starting to get-" A loud gurgle from my stomach was enough to finish that sentence. I blushed instantly, muttering a silent, "Hungry..."

"Wren, Socket? Do you want to eat with...us?"

Before I had even finished _that_, the three children had already trotted into _Rosemary's_, Wren and Socket beginning to bicker all the while.

**Oh my puzzles, Wren and Socket? Yup. Why? Because I like them from the Black Ravens. :) Crow too, of course, but he doesn't strike me as the kinda guy to leave the Black Market to check on Luke, even if they are friends. Which sounds kind of harsh, but you know what I mean! **

**In the next chapter, you'll get some more insight on Grazent!  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading, guys!  
><strong>


End file.
